11 children and 10 journalists die in wave of Afghan terror

ELEVEN children and ten journalists were among at least 25 people killed in Afghanistan yesterday.

Nine journalists covering an explosion in the capital Kabul were killed in a second blast at the scene and a BBC reporter was shot dead near the border with Pakistan hours later.

The children died in an attack targeting Nato troops in the southern province of Kandahar.

It was the deadliest day for journalists in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. Globally, it is believed to be the worst attack on journalists since 2009.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the explosions in Kabul, where at least 45 people were injured.

The first bomb was detonated by an attacker on a motorbike. Within 15 minutes, after a crowd of journalists had gathered at the scene to report on the attack, another blast went off. The second bomber had disguised himself as a journalist, displaying a press card to infiltrate the crowd and target the reporters, said interior ministry spokesman Najib Danesh.

Seven died instantly and two more succumbed to their injuries later.

One of those killed was Shah Marai, chief photographer in Afghanistan for Agence France-Presse.

A few hours later in Kandahar, a suicide car bomb targeting a Nato convoy killed 11 children from a nearby religious school, police said.

The children had gathered around the convoy for fun when the bomber struck, said Abdul Rahim Ayoubi, a local MP. Eight Romanian Nato soldiers were wounded.

Ahmad Shah, 29, who had worked as a reporter for the BBC World Service for a year, was shot dead in Khost province, eastern Afghanistan, by a group of men on motorbikes.

He is believed to have been cycling at the time and was immediately rushed to hospital but died from his injuries.

BBC World Service director Jamie Angus said in a statement: ‘This is a devastating loss and I send my sincere condolences to Ahmad Shah’s friends and family and the whole BBC Afghan team.’

‘Devastating loss’